A Promise Kept
by penpaninuSessh
Summary: Events placed after the movie.
1. Chapter 1

Very short Chihiro POV one-shot sets after the movie ends. Who didn't' see this happen in their heads when the credits rolled?

"A Promise Kept"

a very short story by penpaninu

Mom and Dad never believed me about the spirit world on the other side of the false amusement park. When Haku, the dragon boy, took me back to the sea of grass separating the realms and bid me farewell, my parents were waiting for me. They were irate and annoyed I had gotten lost, momentarily in their view, and had made them wait.

They looked exactly as last I saw them, and if not my severe belief in my fledgling adventure (and the hair band Zaneba had made with No-face) I would be inclined to believe them: that nothing had happened.

But even though the weeks, months, then years passed, I find myself not wanting to forget the warmth of Haku's hand, the sharp slant of his human eyes and the smooth scales of his dragon form. Late at night, I look out of my bedroom window, watching the starry skies for signs of his flight. He had promised we would meet once more. Things to smooth over with Yubaba, may have delayed him, but when a promise was made, one kept it. That is one thing I had learned in the Bath House of the Spirit Realm. The vow made with words was very strong.

So pure is my belief in this, I am not surprised to see a tall slim boy with shoulder length hair pause under the street lamp before my parent's house. His slanted eyes search the darkened windows, and when they land on me, I smile and wave.

"Haku!" I whisper loudly, darting out of the front door and meeting him at the front gate. "You made it! I've been waiting."

The dragon boy smiled kindly at me, and reached his slender hands for mine. As if confirming the childish belief to be invited, I take his hands in mine and guide him over the threshold to the front walk way of my house.

"I made a promise, Chihiro," he whispers. "And you taught me promises need to be kept." His hands are so warm, his mouth caresses my name in just the right way and his eyes are dark with remembered friendship.

I impulsively pull him close for a hug and we find the startling difference in height and growth between us. Looking up into his face, I grin sheepishly and attempt to smooth the tangled muss laying in bed made of my hair.

"Chihiro! What are you doing outside at this hour?" Father's voice calls from inside. Haku smiles as I pull him to the door.

"An old friend, Dad! Meet Kohaku."

End

Rewatching Spirited Away reminded me of this thought for a VERY short Pov story. I always thought Haku should find Chihiro once more! Please review!

Penpaninu 12/07/05


	2. The Next Day

What happens after Kohaku finds Chihiro years later. A small look at a morning after his arrival.

Disclaimer: Do not own Spirited Away. I wish I were as rich as Miyazaki.

"A Promise Kept: The Next Day"

by penpaninu

Chihiro woke slowly. She stared at the ceiling as the sands of sleep threatened to pull her back under their alluring spell. Then her eyes sprang open and she scrubbed her face with her palms.

Kohaku had come to see her last night. He might still be here. Mom and Dad had set him up on the couch in the study downstairs, but there wasn't telling what a dragon river spirit would choose to do with that. He had come to see her, not a couch.

So Chihiro dashed downstairs, the early sunlight peeking through the curtains of her parent's home. She halted at the den and paused, smoothing her nightclothes out. Men's boxers and a t-shirt may seem a little scanty, but Kohaku had seen her in less before. He knew her, so it was okay, right? Chihiro lifted a slender hand and knocked once.

"Haku!" she whispered. Silence reigned. Just as she was about to despair, she heard a flute's melody drift through the air. It was coming from outside, so Chihiro snuck through the kitchen and opened the back door.

A slender teenaged boy sat on a rock near the river down below, one leg crossed over his knee. His hair fell in undulating waves reminiscent of a stream's flow, and fell just past his shoulder blades. His thin body was slender, and housed in traditional clothing. Chihiro smiled. Haku was still there. He looked as old as she did now, but she knew her friend was more timeless than that deception.

"Haku," she called out softly. The boy stopped playing and his head tilted up. Chihiro's heart stopped as he turned to look at her. His dark eyes played with a curious knowledge and he rose to his feet. His every movement was graceful and Chihiro's heart stopped beating for an instant.

"Chihiro! Did you sleep well?" he asked mellifluously. Chihiro nodded, her cheeks bright red.

"How about you? My parents didn't want you in my room but I had to make sure you were…."

"That I was still here?" Kohaku tucked the small flute inside his draping sleeve and smiled kindly. "I promised I'd make it to you, didn't I?"

"But why did it take you so long?" Chihiro tugged at the hem of her shirt. "Winter is coming" stretched across her small breasts and Kohaku's eyes seem to follow the movement of the slogan with more than a little spark of interest. Chihiro flushed and made to sit at his feet in the grass. Beads of dew wet her bare legs as she tucked them under her delicately.

"Well you know Yubaba. Merely winning isn't enough for her, besides I was under contract. I decided to fulfill my allotted time with her, even if she DID steal my name as well."

Chihiro daringly touched the backs of his hands. He felt warm and her palms rasped briefly against them as if remembering the feel of his scales beneath them. Haku, no Kohaku, watched her with warm soft eyes.

"But it's okay now! I helped you remember, and you made your way to me…. Where will you stay now?" Chihiro's heart caught in her throat. The thought of him leaving so soon was more than she could bear. Please don't leave me…. "You left the bathhouse didn't you? Where will you go?"

Kohaku smiled and squeezed her hands in his. The old gestures she remembered touched her heart and warmed inside. "I will pursue staying with you as long as I can. I'm sure your parents want I should get a job here. That seems to be the rule everywhere, doesn't it?"

Chihiro laughed with him in relief. An errant tear squeezed from the corner of her eye alone and she shook their hands up and down. "I think you're right about that! Oh, Kohaku, I've missed you so much. No one else could understand what I was waiting for, no one believed me if I spoke of you…."

Kohaku's heart clenched in jealousy, imagining the young men gathered around the specimen of his friend. He resolved to restore her belief in him and they sat with quiet companionship. Their fingers squeezed together.

"No one had forced you to believe in anything other than yourself, have they?" he asked lowly, his eyes alight with concern. Chihiro found she liked the way he regarded her. She was so young, and he was older than he looked, but he truly did care for her.

"No, not in myself! In you. They say I made a love interest up…." Chihiro blushed and bit her lower lip. Kohaku smiled. His tail, invisible in this form, wrapped her around protectively and caressed.

Chihiro blushed further and bowed her head. Her brown hair covered her face.

"Chihiro…." The dragon whispered when the back door sprang open. The sound it made smacking into the side of the house was explosive as a gun shot.

"Chihiro! What are you doing out there! Is that young man still there? You both come inside now," her mother yelled. Kohaku laughed while Chihiro blushed. Standing, he tugged at her hands.

"Come on, best do what she says." This time, his tone indicated. Hard to believe a pair of parents both could misplace their child in a spirit realm, so Chihiro knew he was just humoring the irate woman in the doorway.

"Okay, Kohaku…"

Together the two teenagers walked to the house.

End

"Winter is coming" belongs to George RR Martin solely not to me. Like it? Hate it? Please review.

Penpaninu yash 2/11/06


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